Program Overview

Music Theory Ph.D.

Program Overview

The Music Theory Ph.D. program at the University of North Texas offers comprehensive professional training in music theory and analysis. The program is designed to prepare students for careers as scholars and professors.

Program Details

• Degree Type: Doctoral Degree
• Program Type: Major
• Format: On Campus
• Estimated Time to Complete: 2-3 years
• Credit Hours: 60 (with prior M.S.), 90 (with prior B.S.)

Program Description

The graduate programs in music theory offer advanced classroom and online instruction in theory and analysis, along with one-on-one advising and a multitude of teaching opportunities. The program is designed to provide students with a greater understanding of music theory and analysis.

Requirements

• Tuition & Aid: Information on tuition and aid can be found on the university's website.
• How to Apply: Information on the application process can be found on the university's website.

Why Earn a Degree in Music Theory?

• Faculty: Students will be taught by faculty members who have garnered national and international recognition for their research.
• Curriculum: The comprehensive curriculum exposes students to:
  • Analytical techniques covering the entire history of Western music practice.
  • Applied studies in contrapuntal composition.
  • History of music theory with direct study of treatises.
  • Music theory pedagogy with on-site involvement in class instruction.
  • Special focus seminars on music and psychoanalysis, semiotics, transformational theory, post-tonal theory, and others.

Marketable Skills

• Pedagogical Practices
• Music Editing, Copying, Transcribing, and Arranging
• Public Event Management
• Book/Journal Editing, Creating, and Promoting
• Advance Data Collection, Analysis, and Interpretation

Program Highlights

• Center of Schenkerian Studies: UNT is home to the Center of Schenkerian Studies, which boasts a rich collection of unpublished papers and analyses by Schenkerians ripe for discovery and research.
• International Study Abroad Programs: International study abroad programs can provide students with an array of learning experiences. The university collaborates with institutions and scholars in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America for these opportunities.
• Graduate Association of Musicologists und Theorists (GAMuT): The Graduate Association of Musicologists und Theorists (GAMuT) is an active group of graduate students who organize an annual academic conference, publish Harmonia, and host regular professional development meetings, faculty and student research presentations, and social gatherings.

What Can You Do With a Degree in Music Theory?

• Careers: Many graduates have successful careers as professors or lecturers at colleges and universities in Texas, the U.S., and abroad. Others work with music publishers or in large research libraries.

Courses

• History of Music Theory I (3 hrs): Topics include theoretical systems and treatises from antiquity to the late 15th century and analysis of related compositions.
• History of Music Theory II (3 hrs): Topics include theoretical systems and treatises from the 16th to early 18th century and analysis of related compositions.
• Analytical Systems I (1700–1900) (3 hrs): This course is an examination of analytical systems from the middle works of Rameau to the harmonic theories of Riemann, Schenker, and Schoenberg.
• Analytical Systems II (Post 1900) (3 hrs): This course is an examination of analytical systems in the 20th century.
• World Music Analysis (3 hrs): Topics include analytical approaches to world music; theoretical and practical issues in transcription; and development of new paradigms for transcription, analysis, and graphic representation of music.
• Proseminar in Music Theory (3 hrs): Topics include investigation and research; subject matter variable to meet needs of students.